Yahoo News Nintendo Switch Online app now available
Nintendo has at last launched the Nintendo Switch Online app for smartphones, which drives much of the new console's online functionality.
The app, now available on iOS and Android, provides vital services like voice chat and game invites. The former is only possible on a Switch when connected to the app, in essence binding the Switch to a smartphone for any users who want to talk to their teammates.
Right now the service is free to use, but in 2018 Nintendo Switch Online will become a paid service, costing players £18 annually – a cheaper offering than that from Sony or Microsoft.
But it's no wonder that Nintendo isn't charging players just yet; the only game supported by Nintendo Switch Online right now is Splatoon 2, which will be released on Friday. With only a single title making use of the service, a service charge seems unreasonable at the moment.
When Splatoon 2 goes live, players will be able to hook up using the app's SplatNet 2 service, which will allow players to send game invites but also provide game-specific functions like match results and rankings.
It seems that the NSO app will provide tailored support for individual titles, with equivalents of SplatNet for other games.
Since the app has launched, users have noted several questionable design decisions – for instance, switching between apps will cause voice connections to drop; something equivalent gamer-chat services like Discord don't do.
In order to listen to voice chat and in-game audio at the same time, players must also find a way of merging the outputs, such as through the official licensed Switch headset from Hori, which looks like a bit of a faff.
You can download the app right now, and try it out for yourself when Splatoon 2 arrives on Friday.
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